Mumbai: A former Mumbai Under-19 cricketer, Balwant Singh Swaroop Singh Sodha, was arrested by the DB Marg police for his alleged involvement in black marketing tickets for the T20 World Cup semi-final match between India and England.
Sodha Part Of Wider Racket Behind Illegal Ticket Sales
According to police officials, Sodha, 26, is the seventh accused in the case, which has exposed a wider racket involved in the illegal resale of match tickets at inflated prices. Authorities have seized his mobile phone and its data is currently being analysed to trace the source of the tickets and identify other individuals linked to the network.
Sodha allegedly sold two tickets priced at Rs 25,000 each. However, he has not yet disclosed how he procured them. “We are examining his call data records to trace further links in the racket,” a police officer said as quoted by Indian Express.
Details On The Ticket Sale Racket Trail
The incident came to light earlier this month after police received a tip-off about a man selling match tickets at exorbitant rates. Acting on the information, officers conducted a sting operation and posed as buyers. They apprehended Aditya Raorane at a coffee shop in Vile Parle when he agreed to sell two tickets at Rs 25,000 each.
During interrogation, Raorane told police that he had sourced the tickets from Siddharth Sabhapati. Following this lead, police asked Raorane to contact Sabhapati for additional tickets. Sabhapati allegedly sent two more tickets through another accomplice, Meghan Sandesh Pradhan, who was later arrested at the same location. A total of four tickets were seized during this operation.
Police said the accused were part of a conspiracy to resell complimentary and subsidised tickets issued by the Mumbai Cricket Association at much higher prices. So far, 24 tickets have been seized and officials have written to the association seeking details about their distribution.
A case was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Maharashtra Police Act. Prior to Sodha’s arrest, six other accused, including Raorane and his associates, had already been taken into custody. Further investigation is underway to uncover the full extent of the racket and identify additional suspects involved.
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